1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable lift dolly constructed to vertically set down a toilet with accuracy during install, further arranged to vertically lift a toilet for removal, the apparatus configured with wheels providing ready toilet transport.
2. Description of the Related Art
During new construction and remodels of commercial or residential buildings, the install and/or removal of toilets provides several challenges. Toilets are heavy and bulky, making precision setting during install very difficult, as the installer must be bent over the toilet and ‘feel’ without a visual the wax ring seal. The most common wax seals involve a circular ring which is soft and easily damaged by even a slight toilet misalignment or off-level condition when set. A damaged wax ring can cause significant collateral damage besides the labor and expense of reinstalling a toilet and is preferably avoided. Removing a toilet can also be difficult as the laborer must lift the heavy toilet while being bent over and in most cases, within tight confines. Most often, setting a toilet involves two persons, one to set the toilet while the other aligns and ensures that the wax ring is not damaged during the set.
Removing an old toilet for replacement is accomplished by apparatus in the prior art several ways. For example, prior inventions, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,466 to Irwin required a user to secure the toilet to arms extending from a hand truck configuration, wherein the toilet is tilted and lifted at the same time. Those tilt and lift devices similar to U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,466 require the toilet to be drained before lift and transport, which could prove problematic if the toilet removal was precipitated by a plugged pipe.
Other prior art examples of more sophisticated ‘lift’ removal devices include U.S. Pat. No. 7,823,862 to Wakil and U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,379 to Wall. Wakil teaches a lift device that incorporates the general structure of a hydraulic floor jack, with an extending member on each side of the toilet, two lower arms on each side of the toilet, with a ‘U’ shaped upper bar that compressively secures the toilet to the lift mechanism. The user actuates the hydraulic cylinder and the toilet is tilted per the arc of the lower anus as secured by the ‘U’ shaped bar, lifting and slightly tilting the toilet for transport. The Wakil lifting device does not provide a flat and level ‘set’ for install, and is used per the specification for removal only. Wall teaches a device capable of lifting a toilet for removal, and setting a toilet for install. However, Wall is complicated to operate, may be impossible to use if the toilet is located within tight confines, and requires the adjustment of a plurality of screw jacks, at least one on each side of the toilet making for difficult actuation.
There is a current need for a robust apparatus to solve the problem of lifting a toilet for removal and setting a toilet during install that does not involve heavy awkward lifting by the user, provides ready transport of the toilet, and is single user operational even in the tight confines in bathrooms or bathroom stalls where toilets are generally installed.